The invention relates to an inserting apparatus and a method for inserting postal items into envelopes.
A continuous challenge in the design of envelope-stuffing machines is to increase output and reliability in an apparatus of limited costs.
One approach for increasing the speed at which postal items can be inserted into envelopes is disclosed in European patent application 0 504 114. According to this document, envelopes are pulled from a stack by means of rotating elements, which are part of a circulatable member and open the flap of each envelope. The envelopes are successively transported away from the circulatable member to an inserting position. After each envelope has reached the inserting position postal items are inserted therein and the envelope is then transported away from the inserting position vacating the inserting position for a next envelope to be filled.
According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,636, envelopes are spread and held ready for receiving postal items on a plurality of spreading members at different levels, wherein the individual spreading member picks up the opened envelopes in one conveying plane during the stopped phase and keeps the envelope received ready for pushing in the envelope contents in the other conveying plane. However, this requires a relatively complex construction.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,425, which is regarded as the closest prior art, discloses:
An inserting apparatus comprising; an envelope feeding path for feeding envelopes; a rotor, rotatable about an axis transverse to the envelope feeding path, the rotor comprising at least two envelope flap catcher members, each having a free edge facing the envelope feeding path when in a position aligned with a downstream end of the envelope feeding path, for entering between a flap and a body of an envelope fed along the envelope feeding path, for engaging the flap and for holding the flap while the rotor is rotated so as to turn the flap to an opened position; an envelope support adjacent to the rotor for holding an envelope of which the opened flap is held by one of the catcher members of the rotor; and an insert feeding path for feeding postal items into an envelope in the inserting position.